Rail-fastening means for railway-ties.



HENRY K. POWERS, 0F KITTANN IN G, `EEN N SYLVAN IA.

RAIL-FASTENING MEANS FOR RAILVVAY-TIES.`

rasantes.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 8, 1912.

Patented June 11, 1912. Serial No. 689,252.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY K. POWERS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kittanning, in the county of Armstrong and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRail-Fastening Means for Railway-Ties, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to improvements in rail fastening means for railwayties.

The object of my invention is to provide a fastener for rails which doesaway with spikes, bolts or nuts, and which can be readily applied to thetie and firm-ly hold the rail upon the tie.

Another object of my invention is to provide a rail fastening means ofthis character in which the rail cannot spread as the tie firmly holdsit against spreading and at the same time providing means whereby thetie 1s readily applied or removed as is desired.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a simple, cheap andeffective rail fastener having certain details of structure hereinafterset forth.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a railwaytie, showing the rail secured thereto by my improved fastening means.Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view, taken transverse of the rail. Fig.3 is a vertical sectional view taken at right angles to Fig. 2, and Fig.4 is a top plan view of the rail fastening means showing the railremoved.

Referring now to the drawing, 1 repre-.

sents the tie which is made of wood, metal or concrete, whichever isdesired and having` 1n its upper face a transverse rectangular groove 2,in which my improved rail clamp rests. The rail clamp consistsof two-members 3 and 4, which are of elongated form having their inner edgesprovided with serrations or teeth 5, which are adapted to in` terlockwith each other, as clearly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, wherebywhen so locked the two clamping members are held against longitudinalmovement in respect to each other.

The members 3 and 4 are of a width ap proximately half that of therecesses 2 in the tie 1, so that when applied in the said recess ortransverse groove there is but a slight space between the vertical wallsof the groove and the outer face of the said -which is adapted to restagainst the side wall of the tie and provided at its lower end with alaterally turned portion 7, which is adapted to pass under the tie andthus the said member is held against transverse movement on the tie inone direction and also held against vertical movement on the tie. Theother member 4 is provided at the opposite end to the member 3, withdownwardly extending arm 8, which is provided with a laterally extendingportion 9, at its lower end which extends under the ties and holds themember 4, against transverse movement on the tie in one direction andalso against vertical movement. The two members placed in the recess 2in the tie with their teeth interlocled, it will be seen that neithermember can be moved in either direction transverse of the tie, andneither can they be moved vertically.

The upper faces of the members 3 and 4 are provided with plates 10 and11, which are provided with longitudinally ext-ending grooves 12 and 13into which extend the flanges 14` and 15 of the base of the rail 16, andthus the rail is held against transverse vertical movement.

As heretofore stated, the width of the members 3 and 4 taken together isless than t-he width of the transverse groove 2 in the tie 1, leavingthe small space 17 on one side of one of the members 3 and 4. By thisarrangement it will be seen that the rail can be shifted longitudinallyof the tie to vary the gage of t-he railway.

The space 17 is necessary in order that the teeth of the two members 3and 4 may be locked or unlocked and driven in said space is a wedge orplug 18, which firmly locks the teeth of the two members together,clamping the rail on the members 3 and 4, and absolutely preventing anylateral or vertical movement of the rail. The wedge-shaped member 18 isprovided with a large head 19 and a reduced outer end 20. lVhen thewedge is driven home, the head 19 engages one side of the tie 1, and theouter reduced end of the wedge is turned over so that it engages theopposite side of the tie, and whereby it is impossible to move and it isalso impossible for the two members 3 and 4 to have any vertical o-rlateral movement.

In applying the fastener the two members 3 and 4 are placed in atransverse groove 2,

'I claim and desire to secure by members having interlocking inner withtheir outer vertical walls bearing against the walls of the groove, andthe tie engaging members in their normal position. The rail is then slidin under the rail engaging members and the two members 3 and 4 forcedtogether, so that the teeth interlock. The wedge is then driven homeasheretofore described.

Having thus described my invention, what Letters Patent is:

1. A rail fastening means, comprising two edges the rail and oppositehaving downwardly embrace the un and adapted to engage ends of saidmembers extending arms adapted to der side of a tie.

2. A rail fastening means comprising two members, flat plates havinginterlocking inner edges and upon which the rail is adapted to rest,upwardly extending rail engaging members carried by said plates, anddownwardly extending members carried by op-posite ends of said platesand adapted. to engage the under side of a tie, substantially as shownand described.

3. A rail fastening means comprising two plates having teeth on theirinner edges extending in opposite directions andvadapted to interlockand upon which a rail is adapted to rest, rail engaging members carriedby the upper face of the said plates, a downwardly extending arm carriedby oneend of one of the plates and adapted to engage the under face of atie, and a downwardly extending arm carried by the opposite end of theother plate and adapted to engage the under face of a tie.

4. A rail fastening means comprising two plates having teeth on theirinner edges extending in opposite directions and adapted to interlock,and upon which a rail is adapted to rest, rail engaging members carriedby the upper face of the said plates, a downwardly extending arm carriedby one end of one of theplates and adapted to engage the under face of atie, a downwardly extending arm carried by the opposite end of the otherplate and adapted to engage the under face of a tie, and means forholding the plates against transverse movement in respect to each other.

5. The combination with a tie having a transverse rectangular groovetherein, rail clamping members in said groove and having interlockinginner faces, arms carried b-y said rail-engaging members and extendingdownwardly under the tie, and a wedge driven in between one edge of therectangular opening and one of the rail clamping members forV holdingthe members in their interlocking position, whereby the members are heldagainst vertical, longitudinal and transverse movement.

6. The combination with a tie having a rectangular transverse groove inits upper face, of two plates resting in said grooves and having teetharranged on their inner edges and adapted to interlock, means carried bythe plate for engaging the base of the rail, a downwardly extending armcarried by one end of one of the members and adapted to embrace thelower face of the tie, a downwardy extending member carried by theopposite end of the other member and adapted to embrace the lower faceof the tie, and means for locking the said plates in the groove againsttransverse movement.

7 The combination with a tie having a transverse rectangular groove inits upper face, plates resting in said grooves and havingtheir inneredges provided with teeth arranged in the opposite direction and adaptedto interlock, the width of said plates being less than the width of thetransverse groove, upwardly members adapted to engage the base of therail, a downwardly extending arm carried by one end of one of themembers and adapted to embrace the lower face of the tie, a downwardlyextending arm carried by the opposite end of adapted to embrace thelower face of the tie, and a wedge having an enlarged head and a reducedouter end driven into the space between the wall of extending railengaging n ,Y

the other member and 'Y the transverse groove, andA one edge of one ofthe plates and having its In testimony whereof I hereunto aiiix mysignature in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY K. POWERS.

lVitnesses:

J. P. CULBERTSON, J. MARK WILLIAMS.

Uopies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

